Sami Zayn Talks Cody Rhodes Main Eventing WrestleMania 39 Instead Of Him

Publish date: 2024-05-05

Going into WrestleMania season a few months ago all the talk was about who should face Roman Reigns for his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Sami Zayn was the crowd favorite thanks to his phenomenal work in the Bloodline story. Then Cody Rhodes returned from injury, and fans loved him just as much. When Rhodes won the Royal Rumble, it was clear WWE was pushing Rhodes over Zayn for the WrestleMania 39 main event. It sort of worked out best for everyone. Rhodes got to have his main event moment against Reigns, even if he did lose, and Zayn, along with Kevin Owens, got to have a main event moment as well, dethroning The Usos at the end of night one.

Sami Zayn spoke to Mark Andrews about his thoughts leading up to WrestleMania. "There was a time period going from Survivor Series building into the Rumble and especially right before and right after the Rumble. I 100% thought it could go to me and Roman at Mania and it would be the best story, but that just wasn’t in the cards.

"We talk about plans, and it’s very hard to have a plan and stick with it, there are all these other variables. A variable pops up, which is Cody’s return. It was a good thing. There was no rejection, he was widely accepted, and they wanted him and they wanted him in the role he came back in. They were happy to see him win the Rumble, they wanted him to dethrone Roman Reigns. The stories even rubbed up on each other, where Cody rubbed up on us, we rubbed up on him, and the whole thing was helping each other. Everybody was lifting everybody.

"That’s when wrestling is done right. Everyone is elevating one another. Obviously, Roman Reigns is the biggest star, but when you put me in there, because it adds a new layer, even if it’s not something you could say out loud, ‘Sami Zayn could elevate the Bloodline’ because they are a top act. I gave it a new dimension. I helped them, but they helped me immensely at that point. Me interacting with the Bloodline and Roman brought my stock up so much. It was a case of the tide rising for everybody.

"When Cody came back, it was the same thing. He’s a huge a star, I was rubbing up with him. The tide was going up for everybody. That’s what made that eight - nine month period exciting. It was fun to watch the whole tide rise for everybody involved." (h/t Fightful)

RELATED: Has Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens’ WWE Tag Team Title Reign Already Peaked?

Sami Zayn Is Set To Move On From Roman Reigns

All good things must come to an end. With Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens being drafted to Raw, while Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa remain on SmackDown, WWE is setting up to end Zayn's story with the Bloodline. There looks to be one more chapter with Zayn and Owens defending their tag team championships against Reigns and Sikoa at Night of Champions, but after that, it appears Zayn and Owens will be moving on to other feuds.

Raw has already shown Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens beginning a new feud with Gunther's Imperium faction. That is a rivalry that will be great to watch. While it grows, however, Sami Zayn has one last battle to fight against Roman Reigns. For Cody Rhodes, he can only hope he gets one more battle against the Tribal Chief as well.

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